


Something New

by throwntotheair (eloquentelegance)



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, itty bitty jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 19:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7654057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eloquentelegance/pseuds/throwntotheair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason's first morning in Wayne Manor goes... well, pretty alright actually, all things considered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something New

There’s a crash and a bang as all manner of pots and pans fall to the floor. Jason stands at the center of it, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Uh, sorry, Mr. Pennyworth. Didn’t mean to mess up your stuff,” he says, before a final pan slips off the shelf and bonks the back of his head. “Ow!”  


Alfred stifles a laugh, allowing instead a kind smile to grace his features. “My dear boy, please, call me Alfred.”

“Only if you call me Jason. None of that ‘Master’ stuff,” Jason replies, his lower lip sticking out in a defiant pout.  


“I’m afraid it’s protocol.”  


“Then I think we’ve reached an impasse.”  


“An impasse, sir?” Alfred finally lets the whole of his amusement show.  


Something tight uncoils from Jason’s shoulders as he nervously scratches the side of his nose. “That’s the right word, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it was.”  


Alfred bends down and starts picking up the kitchenware. There’s slight movement to his right and he knows Jason is helping out.

“May I ask, Master Jason, what exactly were you planning to do?”  


“Oh, uh... I was just thinking of fixing myself some breakfast, ‘s all. But your kitchen is so huge - I got a little lost.”  


Alfred straightens up, putting away the pans. Jason, at his side, hands him what’s left.

“Do you always cook yourself breakfast?” He asks the boy.  


“And lunch, and dinner. Mom’s... Mom’s usually too sick to cook, so...”  


“My, my. That’s quite impressive.”  


“Not really?”  


Alfred turns to Jason then, a twinkle in his eye. “You will find that in this house, the ability to cook an acceptable meal is a lauded accomplishment.”

“Lauded...” Jason mouths the word to himself, repeating it a few times before really comprehending what Alfred said. “You mean to say the big man can tussle with the worst of them but he can’t even cook?”  


Alfred shakes his head, smiling.

“At all?!”  


“It is a dark day whenever Master Bruce enters the kitchen.”  


That elicits a full blown grin from Jason, the first one Alfred has seen. The boy has many smirks and sly, sharp smiles but never was he sincere or as honestly joyful as he is now. He looks, Alfred muses silently, like his age - young and full of life, not burdened and beaten down the way he was when they first met. What Alfred would give to see more of that carefree grin.

Well, he knows one thing to offer.

“So, you cook all the meals then? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner?” Jason asks. “There’s no chef from France or nothing?”  


“Master Bruce was never fond of French cuisine.”  


“That’s,” Jason pauses and then, adopts a British accent. “Quite impressive.”  


Alfred gifts him with a gentle smile. “I usually work alone, but perhaps today, I would not mind an extra hand.”

“Tell you what, Mr. Pennyworth. I like you so much. I’ll give you two hands!”  


“Well! That is quite the deal, indeed, Master Jason. I am exceedingly grateful.”  


Jason mouths the word ‘exceedingly’, tasting the new word on his tongue, before bursting out in a wide grin. “You’re welcome!”

They continue to work in a happy silence. There’s the occasional excited chatter but Jason mostly watches, absolutely enraptured, as Alfred prepares the food. His eyes greedily drink in every move and loudly proclaims his joy when Alfred lets him try for himself.

Half past nine sees Alfred leave to wake Bruce, allowing Jason the finishing touches. Bruce stumbles in, nearly ten minutes later, to a full and crowded table. He blinks, appearing stunned for all of fifteen seconds, before turning to Jason.

“You made all this?” He asks, brows raised.  


Jason colors. “Um... No, I was just helping Mr. Pennyworth.”

“Did he really?” Bruce plants his hands on his hips, turning to Alfred.  


“The lad has a gift,” Alfred answers, quirking a brow.  


“You never let me help.”  


“That’s ‘cause you’re bad,” Jason blurts out before slapping his hands over his mouth, panic clear in his eyes.  


But Bruce only laughs, a big belly laugh. “Alfred told you that didn’t he?” He looks to Alfred again. “You can’t just embarrass me like that!”

“I only speak the truth, Master Bruce,” Alfred calmly replies, the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips. “The last time you tried to ‘cook’, I had to clean batter off the ceiling for days.”  


“I honestly thought blending the batter would make things easier.”  


Alfred sighs, rolling his eyes to meet Jason’s gaze. They share a look. Jason stifles a giggle into his hands.

Bruce pouts. “If you’re both quite done teasing me, I’m starving! How about you, Jason?”

The boy freezes at that, his cheeks coloring. He fumbles for a reply but his stomach answers for him, growling loudly.

“I’m a big guy, but even I can’t eat this much,” Bruce smiles, taking a seat. “C’mon, won’t you join me, chum?”  


Still visibly read, Jason mutters a noncommittal, “I guess...” But there’s an excited grin pulling the corners of his mouth as he pulls out a chair. He turns to Alfred. “Are you joining us, Mr. Pennyworth?”

“Oh, I don’t...” Alfred starts to say but he sees Bruce nod out the corner of his eye. A plea, if he ever saw one. He clears his throat. “I don’t usually eat at this hour but I suppose a bite or two can’t hurt.”  


Alfred takes a seat at Bruce’s right as Jason sits to Bruce’s left. They happily dig in, but Alfred and Bruce paid more attention to Jason than their meal. They share a look. It really isn’t customary for Alfred to eat with Bruce like this, but perhaps just for today. No, he thinks with the barest hint of a smile, today, tomorrow, and every day after - for as long as Jason stays. It’s a new custom, he thinks, taking a bite of bacon. A new custom for a new beginning, that’s what Alfred will give. All this and more for the boy who fits words too big for his mouth, who looks too old for his age, who stole from the Batman himself - for this brave boy, Alfred knows, he might be persuaded to give just about anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to send me prompts at http://cursedcomickids.tumblr.com/


End file.
